Purgatory
by Twin-One
Summary: TWINSFIC! In order to save them, the Twins are torn from their loving parents at an early age and are forced into a new and fearful way of life in the Merovingian’s elite boarding school.
1. The Twins are Born

**Author's Note:** This fic is one I'm going to be writing on for the rest of this year and for however long it takes to finish. It's another fic about the Twins as little kids. I know I've written other fics with this theme, but this one is a lot different from my Twin Terror ones. For the main part it's not going to be comical and crazy and the Twins are not going to be pestering the Merovingian. Instead it's going to be a serious and more down to earth story. It takes place before any of the Matrix movies and is going to go more by the Matrix storyline. So in other words, this fic may be how it really did happen. We don't know the Twins' past so we just have to imagine what might have taken place. And I'm planning on this fic following the Twins into their early teenage years and when they are chosen to join the Mero's henchmen. So it's going to be a fic with a lot of interesting twists and surprises.

**Disclaimer:** I am only a fan and do not own anything of the Matrix! All characters, names and anything else pertaining to the Matrix are owned and copyrighted by their rightful owners (the Wachowski brothers and Warner Brothers). The only thing I own is the fanfic itself and any fan-made characters that were created by me exclusively for the story. This fanfic and any of my other fanfics may not be copied, altered, edited or posted elsewhere without my permission. For those of you who may speak another language please feel free to translate my story into your native language for better understanding and your personal enjoyment ONLY, or to show to a friend that may not speak English.

**Rated PG -** mild violence, action and possibly disturbing scenes.

* * *

It was a dreadfully stormy night; one of those nights when everything is unusually restless because of the commotion going on outside. Particularly restless was the inhabitants of a small apartment. When I say small, it was small with only one bedroom, a living room with a tiny kitchenette attached and a bathroom barely big enough to turn around in. The kitchen only consisted of a stove, sink and a refrigerator, all of which were of the smallest size and stuffed beside each other so tightly you couldn't get a piece of tissue paper between them. To complete it a couple of cabinets occupied the area over the stove and sink while a wobbly drop-down table and a couple of chairs were the only things, aside from a doorway frame, that separated the kitchen from the living room. The appearance was even more unsightly, with a stained, worn carpet and peeling and faded paint. The pipes rattled and moaned and the bedposts were loaded down with clothes, storing what the small closet couldn't house. 

Yes, these living arrangements may seem small and even cramped to some, but for two years this has been the hideout of a young couple seeking refuge. For years they have been hunted like criminals and forced to move from one place to another, not daring to stay in one place for too long. Although trying to find shelter hasn't been easy. When you look different from other people it's always hard to blend in. You get those silent stares, the long gazes, the backing away and doors slammed in your face. For what? Nothing! You haven't done a thing wrong, unless trying to survive in the world is considered a crime. Trying to find work is even harder. Doing odd jobs wherever you can find them doesn't pay enough to keep a family alive, but one cannot be picky. If it brings in money, it's good enough. If you starve one day, it's not going to hurt. At least you're together, and that's what matters.

Who are these people, you may ask? They're old programs from one of the first stages of the Matrix. Their home was originally Widow's Moor; a gothic land filled with tombstones, graves, sepulchers, barren trees, old cathedrals, foggy nights and creatures beyond your worst nightmares. Instead of being deleted, they have fought to survive by riding out the resets of the Matrix until the present day. They remained at Widow's Moor until deciding to leave the safe Exile haven in hopes of beginning a new sophisticated life in the midst of humans. The appearance of these creatures would seem human, but they'd be more at home being categorized with ghosts and ghouls. Their deadly pale albino skin and darkened lips sets them apart from being anyways normal in the eyes of the humans. Now they are hunted by the agents that police the system. They're hunted for being nothing more than useless programs that should be deleted because they serve no purpose to the Matrix world.

Both of them have evaded capture and evaded being under the rule of the Merovingian long enough to survive on their own. They are surprised they've even lasted as long as they have. But they know the day is going to come when they will be caught and have to make a choice between being sent back to the Source or remain in the Matrix as Exiles under the Merovingian's rule. All Exiles in the Matrix know of the Merovingian; a very old Exile program who harbors Exiles so that they can have a second chance at life. Every Exile must work under him in exchange for their freedom, or face deletion.

The Exile couple has discussed many times whether or not to go ahead and get it over with. Working for the Merovingian in return for their freedom would be better than constantly running. At least under the Mero they would still be alive and living within the Matrix system without always looking over their shoulder in fear that someone is going to capture them and send them to their death. However, with the event of them becoming proud new parents of twin boys, they will have to keep running until their children are old enough to hand over to the Merovingian's care. A sad time they all must face, but it is the only way, especially if they love their children. With the birth of two new programs, the agents will be after them even harder. Their children are considered even more useless to the system and that means sudden deletion for the both of them if they're caught.

Picking up where we left off; it was a dreadfully stormy night. The lightening and thunder continued their rolling and dancing as the winds whipped the pouring rain against the windows in torrents. The weary mother caressed one of the screaming babies in her arms while talking soothingly to it in hopes of calming it to a slumber. It seemed hopeless. With every clap of thunder, the baby screamed more and louder. On any normal night she would have been able to calm her child's crying, but on such a night as this it was perfectly understandable why the child wouldn't remain quiet. Who could sleep through the ruckus outside?

The bedroom was cramped with two bassinets, a regular bed and a small dresser, allowing very little space to pace back and forth in. So the mother had to make do with walking a few feet and then turning to walk back another few feet. The door being closed allowed a little more room. Several times she almost fell over one of the baby beds because of being weak and drowsy from lack of sleep. As if she needed more to worry about, her husband walked into the room while holding the second screaming child in his arms.

"I can't calm him." The man said with a tired sigh. "It's useless on a night like this. Might as well let them cry until they've cried themselves to sleep."

The woman silently nodded in agreement with her husband and placed the child she held back into the bassinet beside her. The man walked over to an identical bassinet and softly laid the baby he held into it and pulled a blanket over the kicking and screaming infant program. The young man pulled back, sighed wearily and ran his pale fingers through his thick hair, succeeding in mussing it up into sloppy spikes and curls. Even though the weather outside was wild and unnerving, there was a hint of sadness in the air as both parents gazed at their two noisy children. The mother looked at her husband in silence as he stood and stared into the two bassinets. They knew that their time with their children was limited, and thus every moment, even the noisy ones, were precious. They were happy that they had two beautiful children, but they knew they would have to give them up one day soon.

That long and dreadful night finally started coming to a silent and calm close as the sky started showing its first hint of light. Cars began to bustle about outside the tiny apartment as everyone was beginning their day. However, two weary souls inside the apartment were too tired and too disgusted to even notice or care. It didn't mean anything to them anyway. Those were humans bustling about out there, not programs. Programs didn't belong in that world. It didn't seem fair. They were willing to work, to earn money, to raise a family and live like anyone else. They didn't wish to harm anyone. They only wanted to blend in with everyone, to make friends and to live a normal life. Instead, they were cursed to be unwanted, to look like something abnormal. Cursed and doomed to live between worlds forever, or go back to the Source where their life ends.

The man sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his wife sitting on the other side. By now their two babies had quieted down and fell asleep about an hour before. Both of them didn't dare make any sudden moves for fear of waking the children up again.

"Abraham," The woman began. "Why must we be forced to live in this way? Why can't we live like the humans and be given a chance to make ourselves useful?"

"I don't know, dear." Abraham sighed. "I want to work. I want to make money to buy beautiful things for you and the children. I want us to be a family and free to do as we wish." Abraham shook his head wearily. "But the more I look at it, the more I realize it's nothing more than a beautiful dream."

Abraham's wife leaned over and wrapped her arms around him.

"A beautiful dream." He repeated, more to himself than anything. "I'll be glad when this war is over with so that we can all go back to how we were. If the humans get their world back, then we can have ours back. Peace!"

Abraham slowly turned his head toward his wife. "Peace! Isn't that such a lovely word?"

His wife smiled and embraced him harder. "Maybe someday, but we'll think about that when it comes. For now we must think about the present."

"You mean we must enjoy the present." Abraham corrected his wife's words. "I know these times are hard for us all and we hope for much better things and a better life, but the thing we're forgetting is that we have each other. And we have the children now. As long as we hold tight to each other and keep on encouraging each other, I know we'll make it. At least we don't have to live at Widow's Moor anymore. That's one thing we should be thankful for."

"I think anything is better than living there." His wife said with a slight chuckle. "I know we're not human, but that place was horrible. I could never be what I'm supposed to be."

Abraham took his wife's hand in his and squeezed it. "Let us not lose each other and let us not lose hope. No matter what happens, we must do all we can to protect the babies, at least until they're old enough where we can give ourselves up if need be."

There was a new gleam in Abraham's wife's eyes at hearing his words. She knew he was right. At least they had each other and they were happy. That's what mattered most. If they had to constantly run for their lives, then that's how it was. There was no changing it. One day it will end and everything will change, but for now they must keep their spirits high and keep on going and not give up. They had two children to care for and protect now. They both must think of what's best for them.

"I only wish that you hadn't have helped that nice young man. I seriously think we would have been ok if you hadn't have done that."

"Dear, I had to."

"Why?"

"Because he's out to stop the war between the humans and the machines. Don't you see? If the war ends, then peace will follow."

Abraham's wife shook her head. "You don't know that he's The One. There've been others before him, but they failed. We could go through this over and over until the right one does come. All you succeeded in doing was making ourselves known."

"I disagree." Abraham got up and started pacing the best he could in the cramped space. "I believe I did the right thing. I really do. The system doesn't need us anymore and it doesn't want us, so why should we be with it? If I can help in bringing about peace, then I'm going to do it! The Oracle does it."

"But, hon, the Oracle has more power and authority than you do. She isn't as easy to get rid of as we are."

"Oh, I forgot! She was married to the Architect. Well big deal."

Nothing more was said and the room was silent for a time. Abraham turned and smiled at his loving wife and she returned the smile with one of her own.

"I'm sorry, Abraham." She sighed. "I'm sorry that I said anything. I didn't mean what I said. You do whatever you feel is best and I'll go along with you in whatever you do. I too would like to see this war end, and I'm willing to fight for whoever is willing to come and free us of this misery."

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do. You should know that." She smiled wider. "War is not pretty and I understand that you must be willing to sacrifice your life at any given moment. And believe me; I would rather go down fighting for the people trying to stop the war rather than to go down fighting for the ones who are hunting us. As you said, we've got to protect the babies now. The system doesn't care about them so they've got to have some protection. We're a family and a family sticks together no matter what happens."

Abraham sat down on the bed again and grabbed his wife in his arms and kissed her. Whatever lay ahead of them, they vowed that they were going to go through it side by side and hand in hand.


	2. Fighting for Freedom

Five years later.

"Two! One!" the Twins' mother shouted across the backyard that was attached to their fairly new house. After their two children were born, the Exile couple had to search for bigger surroundings that would fit their growing family's needs. They finally settled for a small two story house located in a quiet and private neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. It was probably the nicest looking house they had ever lived in. And what made it nicer is that Abraham finally got a job and was bringing in a good salary, and the agents had not found them. They've lived in peace for five years without so much as seeing the ones who hunted them. Maybe things were going their way after all.

The two little albino twins dropped what they were doing and ran to their mother, who was leaning out of the screen door.

"My gracious!" Vevina exclaimed at seeing her boys. "I can see that baths are in store for the both of you tonight."

The Twins groaned loudly at hearing the word 'baths'. What was the use of taking a bath anyway? They were only going to get dirty again.

"What did you call us in for, Mummy?" They both said at the same time.

"Your father is going to be home soon, so wash up and help me get the table ready for dinner." She smiled lovingly at her children while holding the door open for them, careful not to brush up against them. Both twins bounded inside while being covered from head to foot in dirt from where they had been digging and making dirt roads for their toy cars. Vevina took her boys by the hand and marched them into the bathroom where she took a rag and a bar of soap and gently washed the dirt from their hands and face.

"I want the both of you to go set the table." She said, hanging the wet rag up to dry. Before she could even get the words out of her mouth, the Twins were halfway down the hall. "And don't break anything this time!" she shouted after them.

A clattering of plates and glasses could be heard in the dining room as Vevina washed the sides of the bathroom sink where the dirt had dripped and dried onto it. For some strange reason she felt as though something was going to happen. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was an uneasy feeling. She jumped at hearing a sudden thump. Steadying herself, she realized it was only one of the Twins. Apparently one of them had dropped a glass onto the table. Feeling rather silly, she proceeded to wash her hands and made her way to the dining room before she lost anymore dishes.

Something wasn't right. Abraham had never been this late before. And what was even stranger is that he never once called home to say that he was going to be this late. Vevina sat at the dining room table with the Twins and waited patiently for her husband to arrive. All of them were silent.

"Where's Daddy?" Two asked.

"I-I don't know, dear." Vevina again glanced at the grandfather clock across the room. "Maybe he got held up at the office a little while."

"But he would have called." One added.

"Don't worry. He'll be coming in here any moment now."

Vevina was scared and worried, but she tried not to show it because she didn't want to frighten her children. One of them getting ready to panic was enough.

"Mummy!" Two said excitedly. "I hear a car!"

All of them remained silent and listened for the motor to stop. There was a door slam and the sound of shoes.

"It's Daddy!" the Twins shouted together while jumping from their seats and running to the front door.

Vevina said nothing. She had that uneasy feeling again and along with it she sensed something; something that wasn't right.

"Children!" She quickly called. "One, Two!"

They didn't answer her. She hurriedly got up and ran into the foyer where the Twins were waiting for their father to come through the door. She grabbed onto both of them and dragged them away and back into the dining room.

"But, Mummy, Daddy's home!"

"Hush!" Vevina shoved the Twins into one of the room's corners and away from the windows.

"That's not your father out there."

"What do you mean?" Two asked; confused as to why his mother was acting so weird.

"Just do what I say and stay as quiet as you can."

Vevina and the Twins huddled together in the small corner and waited. A sudden knocking at the back door caused the frightened mother to turn around and face the direction in which the sound came. She quietly moved her children along with her while making her way to the kitchen where she could see clearly through the screen door, her husband.

"Abraham!" She exclaimed, opening up the door. "What's going on?"

The pale, inhuman figure of Abraham stumbled into the small kitchen area and seated himself in one of the chairs placed around the table. His once beautiful and neatly pressed suit was torn and tattered in places, his hair was a mess, his pale blue shirt was all askew and far from being tucked into his pants, and his tie loosely hung from his neck. One would think he had been chased through town by an insane cabdriver.

"Lock the door." Was all he said, once he got his breath back.

The young woman did as her husband wanted, and then turned a worried and fearful look towards him.

"What happened to you?"

"They've found us." Abraham gasped rather hoarsely. "The agents; they've found us."

"Wh-Where are they?"

Abraham pointed in the direction of the front door, but he couldn't make words come out of his mouth to go with it.

"For all I know they're surrounding the house right now as I speak."

"Oh, Abraham. What are we going to do?"

"Barricade the doors with anything you can find. We can't let them inside the house."

"But one of them can burst through the door whether if it's barricaded or not."

"We have to try, sweetheart. At least it'll hold them off until we can think of a way to get out of this house."

The Twins huddled together beside the refrigerator and silently watched as their parents hurried back and forth, carrying chairs, tables and anything else they could find to put in front of the back door. They didn't understand what was going on, but they were too scared to ask questions. Instead they remained as quiet as they could like their mother had told them to do. They did all they could to keep from crying; their silver eyes filling with tears to the point of spilling over and down their cheeks.

After the back door was securely barricaded, Vevina grabbed hold of the Twins and gently ushered them into the foyer where Abraham was busy building a wall of furniture in front of the front door.

"Listen! I hear someone walking around on the porch." Vevina whispered as she pushed the Twins into one of the hallways leading to the bedrooms to keep them safe.

"You and the children get as far back as you can." Abraham said while placing a chair on top of the coffee table he had dragged in front of the door. The footsteps turned into a loud pounding on the door, causing Abraham to freeze and remain quiet. He shot a glance at his wife and motioned for her to stay back. Moments passed by and, again, the pounding sounded.

The Twins crouched low with their mother in the hallway, Two clutching his mother's shirt tightly in his small hand and struggling to hold back tears. What came next happened so quickly that neither of them knew it was happening until afterwards. The pounding grew louder and more violent causing the door to rattle on its hinges and eventually giving way, sending furniture and Abraham flying backwards and onto the floor. Before either of them had a chance to make their next move, agents were on top of them.

It was over.

"At last, the elusive Exiles I've been hunting down for years." The head agent walked in and gazed pleasingly at his capture. "Ever since I was alerted of you escaping Widow's Moor, I was determined to bring you down. It hasn't been easy, I can say that much. I must give you credit for determination. I've never seen an Exile put up this much of a fight before."

Abraham and Vevina didn't bother with making anymore moves and gave up without a struggle. True they could have gotten away, but they both knew it was better this way. At least now their days of running would be over. The Twins, on the other hand, slipped out of the circle of agents and made a run for the open door, but one of the agents standing guard snatched the two children up before they could make it outside and threw them back into the middle of the other agents and tumbling into their parents. Vevina gasped at the rough treatment of her children and narrowed her eyes at the agent.

"How can you be so cruel?" She fought back tears. "They're children, for goodness' sake. They haven't done anything to you. Isn't it enough that you hunt us down like dogs? Why do you have to pick on someone who has no understanding of what's going on?"

Agent Chase coldly stared at the woman in return. "They're programs. That's all they are. Worthless, useless programs that are no good to the system. Small or big, they're still programs. All of you are."

Chase and Vevina locked eyes with each other for a few minutes and then Vevina withdrew herself from any further conversation.

"You've had your fun. Why don't you go ahead and get it over with." Said Abraham, clinching his fists.

"I suppose you all know what happens next." Chase cracked his knuckles and adjusted his dark sunglasses. "Do I need to explain?"

"No." Abraham fought back tears. "We know perfectly well what comes next. And you should know which way we'll choose!"

"I take it that you want to go see him then?" Chase's eyebrows rose. "You want me to take you to Mobil Avenue so you can see the Merovingian?"

"Yes!"

"Very well then. I've done my job and there's nothing more I can do but to lead you in that direction."

"Do we have time to pack a few things?" Vevina's small voice asked. Surprisingly the agent's head nodded. Vevina glanced at her husband, who also nodded. After kissing her children, she quickly darted off into one of the rooms down the hall. Chase motioned for one of the agents to follow her as if he didn't quite believe that packing a few items was what she went off to do.

It wasn't long until Vevina came back with several suitcases and bags in her hands and the agent behind her. Agent Chase and his agents motioned for the Exile family to follow them outside where they placed them in the backseat of a black car. Abraham and Vevina looked sadly at each other, but they both knew that it was for the best. Once the Merovingian took them all in they would be free and would be free of being hunted.

They could finally live a life of peace as a family without any worries.


	3. Price of Freedom

Agent Chase silently eyed the two albino twins as they giggled and played with each other beside him in the back seat of the car. It was perfectly clear that they had no idea what was even happening or how close to death they were. They were just two innocent children who were still too young to understand the things going on around them. To them it was nothing more than a fun adventure.

The agent's eyes moved to view the parents, the father in the front seat next to another agent and the mother in the back seat next to the Twins. He knew that all Exiles are doomed to go back to the Source one way or another. If there's one thing that Exiles fear it's the Machines; the artificial beings that brought life to them in the first place. Being a program himself, Agent Chase felt pity for the Exile family he had just captured, although he didn't show it. Agents rarely showed any emotion at all. It wasn't within their program because their purpose doesn't require them to show emotion. Unknown to his comrades and the Machines, Agent Chase proved more than once that he felt pity towards the Exiles he was required to catch. Anyone would say that he had a difficult job. Being a bounty hunter for the Machines and tracking down fugitive Exiles before the humans see them was no easy task, but the hardest part was seeing the looks in the eyes of the programs after he caught them. Many times he saw confusion, grief, sadness, but the emotion he saw more than any of them was fear. It's difficult when your purpose is done with and you are no longer useful or needed. Agent Chase wondered more than once how long it would be until he too would have to walk the same path as do his fugitives. Maybe that's why he chose to do what he does. Maybe that's why he risks his life to save the Exiles.

Chase looked down at the Twins again when Twin Two accidentally hit his leg. The young twin nervously looked up into the blank, cold face of the agent and stared into the dark shades that hid his eyes from the outside world. A slight smile curled the edges of Chase's lips before he bent over and picked up the stuffed animal Two had dropped in the floorboard. The agent handed the toy to the child. Two was hesitant at first and then slowly reached out a hand and took his possession back, glancing at his mother sitting on the other side of his brother. The woman had as much of a perplexed look on her face as did her son.

She had never seen an agent do anything like that before.

From that point on, the car ride was long and silent. Vevina tried to keep her children quiet and calm, fearing what the agent might do if they became too rambunctious. Very soon the ride came to an end. However, they were no longer in the Matrix. They were in the Source; otherwise known as the Machine City. How they got there was something unknown to the Exile family, but they didn't care to ask questions. They've learned from past experiences that when you're in situations like this, you don't ask too many questions.

After looking around at the new and weird surroundings, the Twins ran and huddled next to their mother for protection and comfort.

"You can run and hide," Chase said, noticing the Twins' reaction. "But nothing can protect you here."

"Why can't you leave them alone?" Vevina sighed at the words the agent chose to say to her children.

"Lady, if I wanted to harm your children I would have done it before now." Chase straightened his shoulders. "It's not within my programming to do so."

Vevina eyed the agent carefully.

"I'm merely stating the truth. This is the Source, where all Exiles must go to face deletion. I see this place every day. And more than I can count, I've seen Exiles come in but never go out. There's no place to hide here where you'll be safe from the fate that waits."

The Twins' eyes grew wide and dotted around them at the horribleness of the place in which they stood. Two quickly turned and buried his face in his mother's leg. One followed his brother's idea and did the same.

The other agents walked away when Chase nodded for them to do so. He waited a short time afterwards until no one was around and then turned toward the Exile family.

"Come, we must act quickly while no one is watching." Chase motioned for Abraham and his family to follow.

Vevina grabbed one of the Twins and carried him, while Abraham grabbed the other one and together they all followed the agent as he led them through a mass of machinery and wires and other unpleasant things that made up the gruesome Machine City. After what seemed like hours of walking, Chase stopped in front of a large rusted metal door that blended in with the rest of the rubbish in that area. It was locked with a huge padlock and had discarded wires, tubes, and 'dead' Sentinels in front of it.

"This is it." Chase said, nervously looking around to see if they had been followed. Chase's voice changed remarkably from what it had been before. It was no longer cold and deep like the normal agents' voices were. Abraham and Vevina exchanged puzzled glances.

"I thought you weren't required to take us to the Merovingian." Said Abraham.

"I'm not." Chase quickly answered, pulling out a key from his suit pocket and pushing it into the lock's keyhole.

"Then why are you doing this for us?"

Agent Chase stopped and turned toward the Exiles. He leaned his head forward and moved his dark sunglasses down his nose, enough where he could peer over the rim.

"Because I've helped a great many Exiles like yourselves to have a second chance at life." Chase winked at the couple. "You're fortunate I was the one who caught you. Not very many of the other agents have pity on Exiles."

Chase playfully nudged One's arm and smiled at him. "And I have a soft spot for children."

"Won't you get exiled for what you do?" Asked Vevina, worriedly.

"Possibly." Chase shrugged. "If I get caught. That's why I must act like a true agent around the others," he turned to a dead Sentinel beside him. "And them."

Chase turned back around and finished unlocking the door and placed the key back in his pocket. He took his foot and pushed away the junk and garbage and grabbed hold of the door and opened it. Darkness filled the cavern on the other side, but a hint of cold greenish light could be seen in the distant.

"This door will lead you to Mobil Avenue. There you will wait until the train comes. Get on it and it will take you back into the Matrix and to the Merovingian."

Abraham nodded that he understood.

"Whatever you do, don't keep the Trainman waiting. He runs a tight schedule."

Vevina, clutching Twin One in one arm and a suitcase in the other, walked through the open doorway. Abraham, carrying Twin Two and a suitcase, followed her. Chase was about to close the door when the head of Vevina appeared in the dim light.

"I want to thank you for what you do." She smiled. "Forgive me for any ill feelings I might have had for you earlier."

"Think nothing more of it." Chase smiled.

"Until we meet again,"

"We won't." Chase coldly said, interrupting the woman. "Unless I meet you on the other side someday. When I'm caught."

Vevina stared at the agent and then turned to go into the blackened corridor to follow her husband. A loud slam and clank told the Exiles that the agent had closed the entrance and pushed the garbage back around it to disguise it.

Mobil Avenue was a barren and cold place to wait in. There was only one bench and over it the words, 'Mobil Ave' were written on the white tiled wall. It could have been any train station, but it wasn't. It was like the in-between of two different worlds; a secret passage between the real world and the Matrix. It was a secret passage only programs used and knew of in order to get back into the world they belonged in. Exiled programs know of Mobil Avenue all too well. Many times, Exiles like this poor Exile family have sat on the lone bench and waited until the train arrived, only to get on so that the Trainman can take them back into the Matrix and to meet the Merovingian.

The Twins looked around at the bleakness and shivered, either from fear or from an uneasy feeling. They wanted to go home. We don't have a home anymore, Vevina would tell them. That is, until they went to see the Merovingian. They all had high hopes that he would be kind enough to give them a place to stay in the chateau they heard he lives in.

Both twins cautiously and curiously walked to the edge of the platform and peered over the side. Below were the tracks of the infamous train that would come shortly and take the wandering Exile family to their new future. It was a sad yet happy time for them. Sad because they had to leave behind all of the work they did in order to make it in the world and happy because they would finally be free from running for their lives.

Abraham and Vevina seated themselves on the bench and waited. The Twins, on the other hand, proceeded to occupy themselves by getting involved in a play wrestling match in the middle of the station's floor. The Exile parents watched in silence as the Twins continued to roll over and over, laughing and giggling. Sometimes they wished they could be that cheerful and carefree.

After several hours of waiting, the train finally arrived; screeching and squealing as it pulled to a halt. The doors opened and out walked a dingy, filthy, ugly man dressed in equally filthy clothes. He greedily smiled at the couple and their children with what little teeth he still had. Not bothering to ask who this guy was, Abraham automatically assumed him to be the Trainman and picked up his luggage and waited until his wife did the same. Vevina took One by the hand and told him to take hold of his brother's hand as well. Together they all piled onto the train and the doors shut behind them.

"Have a seat." The Trainman motioned to the rows of empty seats. "Make yourselves comfortable and within a few hours we'll be at our destination."

And a few hours it was. The Twins were asleep next to their parents when the train pulled to a halt again. This time it was a few feet away from a large and tall building.

"I thought you were going to take us to see the Merovingian." Abraham turned to the Trainman.

"I did." He said, rather irritably. "He's over there in that building at the moment."

"It's a restaurant." Abraham said.

"Yes, I know. The Merovingian owns it."

The doors slammed shut and the train pulled off, leaving the exiled family to make the rest of the trip by themselves.

When Abraham and his family entered the restaurant, a young woman with long black hair and wearing a tight fitting dress greeted them with a smile.

"I am here to take your children for a little while so that you can have an uninterrupted talk with my husband." She said with a crisp Italian accent. At first the Exile couple didn't know what to say to the unusual greeting, but silently nodded to the woman that she may take the Twins with her.

Gently and lovingly she bent down and talked sweetly to the children and reached to take them by the hand. The Twins looked up at their parents in hopes that they wouldn't have to go along with this new stranger, but seeing that they would have to anyway they silently agreed to go wherever she might lead them. Abraham and his wife watched as their children walked off with the stranger while wondering if they had done the right thing. They had always been cautious with leaving the Twins with just anyone because one never knew who would turn into an agent next.

"I think we're to go over there." Vevina pointed toward a long table at the very end of the room where a single man sat alone. They walked in that direction, stopping once or twice to let a passing waiter walk by. When they approached the table, the Merovingian stared immensely at the couple.

"You are the new Exiles, I presume?" He coldly asked.

Abraham nodded.

"Ah! Welcome, then. I am the Merovingian. Please, have a seat."

"Th-That woman just took our children." Abraham pointed toward where the woman had taken the Twins.

"Calm down, calm down." The Merovingian's frown turned into an amused smile. "They'll be returned to you."

"When?" Abraham narrowed his eyes.

"When we're done with our little chat." The Merovingian gestured towards two chairs. "Now, please, sit down and make yourselves comfortable."

Abraham hesitated a moment, keeping his eyes on the Mero as if he didn't quite trust him.

"Aw, come on. Your children will be fine. She won't harm them." The Mero kept his smile. "I just hope you don't mind them having sweets. I know she's very good at spoiling children."

Vevina smiled for the first time since they entered the restaurant and shook her head in reply to the Mero, saying she didn't mind that her children were spoiled a little bit. Finally, Abraham sighed and nodded to his wife to sit. Both of them carefully sat down together across from the Mero, not knowing what to expect next. The Merovingian kindly offered a glass of wine to the couple, but they politely refused. He then offered them some of the gourmet foods that set on the table in front of them, but again they refused.

"Can't we just get down to business?" Abraham frustratingly blurted out.

The Merovingian leaned back in his chair and fingered the wine glass in his hands while swallowing the last of a bite of caviar he had placed in his mouth seconds before.

"I think I'm going to like you." He said with a smile, taking a quick sip of his wine. "I can tell that you've got a good head on your shoulders. Unfortunately it's in the wrong place." The Mero's smile dropped.

"I beg your pardon."

"Quiet!" The Merovingian's gaze narrowed. "I'm a businessman and I am greatly thrilled at your haste to get down to business. But this isn't about business, man. This determines your life; whether you live or die. This is about how much you love that wife of yours and those two children. This is about freedom!"

The Merovingian shifted his gaze from Abraham to Vevina and then back again.

"Call it what you will," he continued. "But zis is perhaps the most important decision you will ever make."

Abraham sat down in his chair again without saying another word.

"You want freedom. Am I correct?" The Merovingian bluntly asked, after a moment of silence.

Abraham nodded.

"You wish to work for me in exchange for freedom so you won't have to return to the Source?"

Again Abraham nodded.

"Consider it done then." The Merovingian lifted his glass in a toasting gesture.

"That's it?" Vevina looked surprised. "That's all we have to do?"

The Mero smiled and sniffed at his wine. "There is one little detail."

Abraham looked at him questioningly.

"Your children," The Mero took another sip. "I want them."

Vevina rose from her seat. "We're going to work for you. We can continue to care for them wherever you want us to stay."

"No, no. The children must remain with me. That ees the rules. All exile children are to be handed over to me or be returned to the Source."

"What will happen to them?"

"They will be sent to the L' Ecole de la Tour. It's a boarding school for Exile children, owned by me and my organization. There they will be schooled in a variety of subjects and one day will be able to work for me."

Vevina broke down in sobs and tears as she slowly sat down in her chair. Abraham leaned over to comfort her.

"Is there another way?" Abraham turned to the Mero. The Mero shook his head.

"I wanted us to remain a family." Vevina said through her tears. "I wanted us to be free together. I didn't want our children to become orphans and be sent to some boarding school."

"True they will be orphans, but at least they will be free and safe." Said the Merovingian.

Vevina sobbed even harder

"There, there. Everything's going to be alright." Abraham kissed his wife's cheek.

"But they're still so young. They won't understand."

"They'll have to leave you someday. Might as well be now." The Merovingian said, not helping matters any.

"Have you no heart?" Vevina angrily gazed at the Frenchman. "Doesn't family mean anything to you?"

The Merovingian remained silent and cold as if he didn't care for the feelings of the couple in front of him. Abraham soon got the feeling that the Merovingian was a cold and heartless man who cared nothing about what happened to the people around him and as long as he got what he wanted he was happy. Apparently the Merovingian thought that the way Vevina and Abraham were acting was rather silly. The Frenchman calmly continued to sip his wine while waiting for Vevina to stop crying.

"If you want your freedom, you can have it, but your children must remain in my care. You are free to spend the night in my chateau until you've made your decision." The Merovingian got up from his chair. "When you are ready to leave, my wife will give your children back to you and then escort you to the chateau and to your room."

The Merovingian, then, walked away from the table and down the walkway of the center of the room and disappeared in the main hallway.


	4. Because of Love

Abraham and Vevina got up from where they had been sitting and started to walk down the walkway of the restaurant, towards the main entrance. When they had first entered, they couldn't help but gawk at the richness and elaborateness of the surroundings, but now everything around them was as bleak to them as their future now seemed. They didn't care where they were or how elaborate the surroundings were. All they wanted was their children.

They soon spotted the dark haired woman sitting at one of the tables in a secluded corner of the restaurant with the Twins seated around her. They were all laughing and giggling and eating ice cream out of china bowls. The couple stood and stared at their children while they continued to talk and laugh with the woman. They seemed so happy; just a couple of kids eating ice cream and carrying on a conversation with a new friend. Vevina sorrowfully hid her face in Abraham's coat. She hated the thought of even going over there to take back her children. She wanted so much to just leave them there and pause that moment so they could live happily forever. It wasn't going to happen though. She and Abraham would have to take their children back and eventually give them over to the Merovingian.

"The Merovingian said that when we were ready to leave we were to come to you to get our children back and for you to show us to our room at the chateau." Abraham calmly said as he and Vevina walked up to the table.

"Mummy! Daddy!" both Twins shouted in glee at seeing their parents. "This is Prissyphonee. She's our new friend!"

Persephone giggled at the Twins' pronunciation of her name.

"No, it's purr-seh-phone-ee." She corrected.

"Yeah! That's it!" the Twins smiled wide at her and then turned to their parents.

Both Abraham and Vevina smiled.

"Won't you have a seat?" Persephone motioned at the two empty chairs setting around the table.

Abraham and Vevina looked at each other at hearing the kind invitation. They nodded and seated themselves.

"You have two lovely children here." Persephone ran her hand over Two's hair. "It's a shame that circumstances have to be as they are."

Abraham and his wife continued to watch Persephone in silence.

"You don't have to be afraid of me." Perse eyed the couple's blank faces. "I'm not like him."

"I beg your pardon?" Abraham quickly snapped out of his staring.

"My husband, the Merovingian, I'm not like him, so you don't have to be afraid of me." Perse continued to stroke Two's soft hair. "If you want to know the truth, I can't stand him."

"Then why did you marry him?" Vevina just had to ask the question. Persephone remained silent for some time before she could muster the nerve to speak again.

"For the simple reason everyone marries. I loved him." Perse stared out of the window that was behind the Twins' chair. "And I once thought that he loved me."

The young Exile couple listened intently to Perse's story while the Twins continued eating their ice cream.

"It was just one of his fiendish tricks." Perse turned back around toward the couple. "He forced me to his side because he said that he loved me and needed me. He doesn't love me now and as far as I'm concerned, he never did. He's in love with every woman he sees. I know because I've seen the way he looks at the women that come into this restaurant. I pity any woman who may fall into his grasp in the future."

"Why not divorce him?" Abraham suggested. "You have every right to, with him treating you like that."

Perse shook her head and almost laughed. "Do you think I'm crazy? You don't divorce someone like the Merovingian. You just put up with him." Perse looked down at the table. "I feel that one day it's going to go too far though. When it does, I'll have my fun. Our relationship has already started deteriorating. It's been slow, but I can feel and tell."

Vevina could see tears in Persephone's eyes as she struggled to continue on.

"I would give anything to be released from him; to strip him of his powers." Perse raised her hand to wipe some of the tears that managed to trickle down her cheek. "All he's done is use me, just like he's done every Exile that's come into his possession."

Abraham and Vevina silently eyed each other. Both of them were thinking the same thing. Maybe it would have been the best thing if they had just allowed themselves to be deleted after all.

"But, strange as it may seem, I still love him. I've always loved him. From the moment he first came to me, I've loved him." Perse picked up a glass and fingered it. "I just wish he'd love me back."

"We had no idea that the Merovingian was like that." Abraham barely got out. "Do you think we did right by coming here?"

"If you want to live, you did right. I just wish there was some other way."

"That makes two of us." Abraham sighed. Vevina held up three fingers and smiled at her husband.

"I guess I need to take you to your room at the chateau then." Persephone said, getting up from her chair.

The Exile family walked into the Great Hall while Persephone led the way. The Twins trotted along beside their parents and gazed around them at all of the elaborate decorations. There were weapons and shields hanging on the walls, some of which were axes, lances, spears, spiked ball and chains and other weaponry from different time periods. There were also a great many marble statues dotted around, making it look more Greek than medieval, which was the appearance the weapons gave.

Twin One's eyes followed the outline of a huge M in the middle of the floor, and then proceeded to stare at the other designs around it until he was pulled along by his mother.

Persephone led the Exiles up one of twin staircases that made up the Great Hall's fabulous appearance, and led them down one of the hallways to the side. The place was huge. They walked for what seemed like a couple of hours until Perse stopped outside of a huge wooden door and unlocked it before entering in. It was a beautiful room, having a tall ceiling and a four-poster bed complete with rich wine colored curtains. The only light came in through a huge window across the room, on the other side of the bed. Other luxuries the room offered were a fireplace, soft carpet, gorgeous padded chairs and a chandelier, which hung over the middle of the room. At first the Exiles didn't know where their children were going to sleep, but as they walked into the room they spotted another bed, much smaller than the four-poster one, that lay hidden behind the huge wooden door.

"I hope you'll be comfortable here." Perse kindly said as she grabbed and took a sheet off the four-poster bed and turned to grab another one off one of the chairs behind her. She rolled them up in a ball and stuffed them under her arm. "The Merovingian isn't much on guests, sad to say, but he still tries to make what guests he has feel welcome and comfortable."

"I'm sure we'll manage." Vevina smiled. Perse turned her eyes towards the Twins and then back at Vevina and Abraham.

"I'll do all I can to help you." she whispered.

"We appreciate it." Vevina whispered back.

"If you don't mind my asking; why do you wish to help us? Why are you being so nice and kind? It's true that you aren't anything like your husband."

Persephone looked long and hard at Abraham and then turned her gaze to the Twins again. "Because I've always wanted to have a family of my own, like you have."

The Exiles stood in a solemn silence.

"I learned to give up those dreams long ago." Perse turned her watery eyes towards Abraham and Vevina. "The Merovingian doesn't just refuse to love and keep his promises; he also succeeds in taking your dreams away from you as well."

Vevina slowly turned to her children standing beside her.

"You're fortunate to have these little ones, and you're fortunate to have each other and each other's love. It's something I haven't experienced nor felt in awhile. It hurts so that I hunger for it."

"I'm sorry." Vevina whispered under her breath.

"Don't be, please." Perse wiped more tears from her cheek. "I want to help you as much as I can because you have what I've always dreamt of having. I envy you and admire you at the same time."

The Twins silently eyed Persephone as she continued wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No matter what happens, I'll make sure your children have the best care. I promise. If it means me taking them away from my husband's hold and caring for them myself, I'll do it."

Abraham and Vevina smiled and then Vevina slowly stepped up to Persephone and gave her a hug of thanks.

"You don't know what this means to me." she said, getting ready to cry too. "You don't know what it means to both of us."

Persephone drew away from Vevina and smiled. She turned and walked toward the room's entrance, shifting the ball of sheets under her arm.

"The bath is through that door." She pointed to her left. "If you need anything just press the button on the wall beside the bed and one of the servants will attend to you."

After that, Perse closed the door and disappeared down the hall. Vevina looked at her husband and then turned her attention back to the Twins.

"Mummy, what did she mean by that?" Two looked up into his mother's face with his big round silver eyes.

"She didn't mean anything by it." Vevina smiled sweetly at him and ran her fingers through his equally silver hair. "Now you and One run and get your toys out of the suitcases and play while your father and I freshen up."

At hearing this, they immediately ran for the suitcases by the bed and started dragging out what toys Vevina had grabbed for them when they were so quickly taken from their home. The woman sighed to herself as she watched them.

"You're only making it harder on yourself, you know that don't you?" Abraham walked up behind his wife. Vevina remained silent. "We're going to have to tell them tonight and talk all of this over because the Merovingian is going to expect an answer from us tomorrow morning. We can't keep him waiting. Goodness' knows what he'll do if we keep him waiting."

Vevina turned and started toward the bathroom without saying a single word about it. She turned to her husband and changed the subject.

"I'm going to soak in a hot bath. Do you want me to run you one after I'm done?"

"No thanks, dear. You know I don't bathe." Abraham smiled. Before Vevina could take another step, Abraham turned into a translucent, ghostly, greenish being and hovered a few minutes before materializing to his normal form. Vevina gasped and put her hand to her chest before glaring at her husband.

"I told you not to do that when I'm around!" she scolded. "You know it gives me the creeps."

"I'm sorry." Abraham smiled sheepishly. "I can't deny my instincts and what I am."

Abraham stepped closer to his wife and placed his arms around her.

"I'm not asking you to do that. Just don't go into your instincts when I'm here in front of you." Vevina smiled. "I'm so glad that the children didn't inherit your… unique… instincts."

"How do you know they didn't?" Abraham smiled back. "They're still young. Give them time and one day they may discover powers they never even knew they had."

"Get away from me you tiger!" Vevina laughed and giggled as she playfully pushed her husband away and ran to the bathroom door. Abraham slowly started coming toward her again. "I'm warning you, mister." She laughed before disappearing into the bathroom and shutting the door. Abraham chuckled to himself as he retreated.

"And I'd better not see this door opening up when I'm in the tub!" Vevina shouted from inside.

"Don't worry, you won't!" Abraham shouted back. "You know I don't like water."

Abraham seated himself in one of the plump chairs and stared towards the Twins who were playing on and around the huge bed. He smiled to himself.

That night Vevina and Abraham settled the Twins down on their bed and tried to gather together what they were going to tell their children, and more importantly how they were going to tell them. The Twins were still too young to understand what all was going on, so it was going to be hard to try and explain to them everything that had taken place within the past few hours. Vevina asked her husband who was going to go first in telling the Twins and he finally accepted the responsibility after a few minutes of deciding. Abraham slowly walked up to the bed, where the Twins were sitting, and sat down on the edge. The Twins smiled at him with their innocent, happy kid smiles, making it harder for their father to tell them the sad news he had to say.

"One, Two." Abraham began. "There's something that your mother and I have to tell you."

"What is it, Daddy?" both twins said together.

"You understand why we're here, don't you?"

"It's so we won't have to be sent back to the Source." One said with a smile. "You've told us before that we might end up here one day."

"Alright. That's good that you understand that part." Abraham searched for his next words. "You know everything that's taken place since early this morning?"

The Twins nodded.

"Well, in everyone's life there comes times that are difficult to go through and difficult to understand and accept, but they usually happen for a reason. Your mother and I know that you're both too young to fully understand everything that's happened today. That's ok because you're kids and it's perfectly normal. And,"

Abraham's words caught in his throat before he could get them out. He turned a saddened face towards his wife. He didn't know if he would ever get the words out. With tears in his eyes, Abraham turned back to his sons.

"I just want you to not be afraid of what may happen in the next few days. Your mother and I both love you very much and we've done all we can to make sure you stay with us. But,"

"What is it, Daddy?" Two crawled across the bed and sat next to his father. Abraham embraced his son tightly and couldn't hold back the tears any longer. One came over to his father and brother when he saw the tears flow down his father's cheeks.

"It's ok, Daddy, we're here."

"What's wrong, Daddy?"

Vevina walked up to the bed. "What your father is trying to say is we're going to have to hand you over to the Merovingian in order for you to remain in the Matrix."

The Twins stared at their mother for a long time, more out of confusion than anything.

"You mean we won't get to stay with you and Daddy?"

Vevina sadly shook her head; trying to hold back the tears she knew were coming. It took awhile for the Twins to fully comprehend what was happening.

"We can still see each other, can't we?" Two asked. Vevina remained silent. Her silence was all it took to start the Twins crying.

"We don't wanna leave you and Daddy." They said through their sobs.

"And we don't want to give you up, sweeties." Vevina sat down on the bed. "But we love you. That's why we must. Your father and I don't want you to be sent back to the Source. That would be worse than this."

"Who knows? We may be together again one day in the future." Abraham smiled.

"Your father's right. This may only be temporary. But whatever happens we must not lose hope. We'll always be a family and you will always be our sons."

"At least we're still alive and will remain alive." Abraham added. "That's what matters. Life is a precious gift, whether human or program, and sometimes one must fight for it."

"Right now times are tough for everyone, so we must do all we can to make sure we survive through this war. One day we'll see peace, but until then we are to see to it that we'll live to see that day come." Vevina hugged her sons close to her. "So you shouldn't be afraid of what's to come. It's only natural to fear the things we don't understand and there's nothing wrong with that, but try not to fear. Just remember that we love you and will always love you. No matter what happens, you'll always be in our hearts."

The Twins and their parents embraced each other in one group hug. No one got very much sleep that night. Those moments were spent doing last things together because neither of them knew if they would ever see each other again. Neither of them knew what lay ahead of them, so those last few hours were precious. More precious than anyone could understand.


	5. A Closed Deal

The next morning, Persephone came and got the Exile family and showed them the way to the Merovingian's office. She softly knocked on the big oak door and waited until her husband gave her permission to enter. Taking the doorknob in her hand, she turned it and entered the room.

"Ah! Come in, please." The Merovingian smiled and greeted the family as they entered and stood in the middle of the room. "Take a seat and make yourselves comfortable. That will be all, Persephone. You may leave us now."

Persephone glared at her husband, not in the least bit pleased at him for treating her like one of his servants, and softly made her way out and closed the door.

"Have you made your decisions?"

Abraham glanced at his wife and then at the Twins. He sighed wearily and stood up.

"We've decided," He stopped and again looked at Vevina. "We've decided to hand our children over to you."

"Excellent!" The Merovingian clapped his hands together in pleasure and turned a glad look towards the two little twins standing beside Vevina. The Twins slowly looked up into the face of the strange man before them. Shy, they quickly turned away and hid their faces in Vevina's baggy pants.

"I can assure you that they will have the best of care."

The couple didn't say anything but sighed sadly.

"Oh come now. Why all zee sad faces? This should be a time of rejoicing and a time of celebration. You're all free!"

The room remained silent except for occasional sniffs from Vevina.

"You're a bad man!" Two suddenly blurted out. The Twins' parents stiffened. Vevina leaned over and softly told Two that he shouldn't say rude things like that. Two's eyes swelled with tears at the scolding. Vevina hated doing it, mainly because Two was right, but she didn't want her son to grow up to be rude.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the door, where giggling could be heard on the other side. The Exile couple turned a puzzled look to the Merovingian.

"Obviously someone's listening at the door." He sighed. "That's a rather feisty young son you've got there." The Merovingian cleared his throat and broke the long silence.

"Yes, sir." Vevina answered, barely above a whisper. "But he'll learn."

"I do apologize for my son's rudeness." Abraham smiled.

"Oh don't apologize. Think nothing of it. After all he _is_ a child and children are expected to say funny and sometimes rude and embarrassing things. It's part of their obnoxious behavior."

"We aren't obnocksheous!" One protested, hitting the side of the Mero's desk.

The Mero chuckled in delight. "You can't even pronounce the word. I highly doubt that you even know what it means."

Beaten, One timidly and embarrassingly looked around at his mother. Vevina gave the Mero a threatening look and pulled One away from the desk.

"Mrs.?"

"Just Vevina" the woman answered. "And this is my husband, Abraham. There is no last name."

The Mero nodded. "Understandable. Most Exiles don't have last names." He turned to the Twins again. "What are your sons' names?"

"One and Two." Vevina coldly answered.

"Unusual names, aren't they?"

"We see nothing wrong with those names."

The Merovingian stopped the conversation right there and got up from his chair. He walked toward the window behind him, stood there a few minutes and then came back to the desk. He reached into a stack of papers over to the side, pulled out a couple and set them down in front of the two Exiles. Offering them a pen, he pointed to the bottom where a signature went.

"Sign these papers for me, please."

Abraham slowly took the pen. "What are these?"

"Just the usual papers I have all Exiles to fill out. It's for my records. You can go ahead and read over it if you want." The Mero pushed the papers forward. "It's to show that you are legally free under my jurisdiction in case anything comes about with the agents. And this paper here is to show that you've handed your children over to my care."

Abraham and Vevina each took one of the papers and read over it to make sure it was as the Mero had said. Seeing that everything was indeed in order, both of them applied their signatures to them. The Merovingian took the papers back and filed them away in one of the drawers of his desk.

"So how does it feel to be free?"

"It feels wonderful." Abraham breathed. "Especially the part of not being hunted any longer."

"Yes," The Merovingian sighed long and hard. "One of these days we will all be free. Free to live in the Matrix without the fear of being caught and being deleted and not needing to fill out papers like these."

"Are you one of the resistance fighters?" Abraham asked excitedly, hoping the Mero actually had a good side after all. The Merovingian shot Abraham an icy stare that nearly stopped Abraham's words in his throat.

"No." He answered distastefully. "Do you honestly think that I would work with humans? Them and their so called 'The One' who is supposed to come and free all humans? You must be out of your mind."

"But the Oracle works for them and she's not human."

"The Oracle eez insane." the Mero quickly and coldly stated.

Abraham stared confusingly at the Mero.

"I put a stop to their savior." The Mero's lips curled into a devilish smile.

"You mean… you've seen him?"

"What's left of him."

Abraham and his wife gasped.

"My henchmen took care of him a few weeks ago, when they finally caught up to him. Turns out he wasn't 'The One' after all. He was nothing but a weakling idiot."

The Merovingian broke out in an evil laughter and remained laughing for a good minute and a half until he straightened up in his chair and tried to contain himself.

"It's happened several times before, and it'll be the same way over and over. You'll see. There's this person named Morpheus who's supposed to be looking for The One. I honestly don't believe there will ever be a 'The One' again."

"You're wicked." Abraham stood up. "You're wicked as sin! I can't believe we're still sitting here. And I can't believe we signed those papers. Tear them up. I will not be apart of you; I don't care if you send me back to the Source."

"It's too late. The papers have been signed and there's no way I'm going to tear them up. You belong to me and so does your children!"

Abraham brought his hand down sharply on the Mero's desk in a fit of rage. "I demand that you tear those papers up!"

"Temper, temper."

"What do we do now?" Vevina came between her husband and the Mero before a fight broke out between the two men.

"You two can do whatever you wish, but you will have to remain here in the chateau. This is your home now so you may go anywhere you like and do whatever you like. Your children, however, will remain here with me and they will be taken to the boarding school as soon as possible."

Vevina broke out crying while grasping her twins in her arms and hugging them close. The Twins began to cry too. Abraham walked up to his family and embraced them all.

"We don't want to leave you, Mummy." The Twins said together between their crying.

Unknown to the Exiles, the Merovingian pressed a silent button under his desk, which called several of his henchmen into the room. He motioned for them to take the Exile couple out of his office. One of the Dobermen grabbed onto Vevina and pulled her away from the Twins while the other grabbed onto Abraham. Vevina started crying all the more and the Twins, by this time, were screaming their heads off and struggled to keep their hold of their mother and father. It was no use, the Dobermen were too strong. The Twins' grasp loosened and they fell onto the floor.

"Get them out of here!" The Merovingian shouted to his henchmen. The Dobermen dragged the Exiles out into the hall, but Vevina fought as much as she could in order to hinder.

"Be good!" she shouted back to her children. "We love you!"

The Doberman holding Vevina pushed her forward down the hall and slammed the office door shut. The Merovingian silently eyed the Twins as they lay crying and sobbing in the middle of the floor. Twin Two suddenly got up and ran to the door in an attempt to open it, but he was too little to fully reach and turn the doorknob, and was certainly too small to pull it open even if he could reach it. He hit it with his small fists in a fit of frustration and then slid back down to the floor. The Mero continued to eye the strange looking kids in curiosity. He'd seen many Exile children during his lifetime, but he had never seen any like these. They weren't vampire, werewolf, alien or leprechaun like so many of the others were. Their skin was much paler than their parents and the color of their eyes and hair was most extraordinary, clearly the sign of Exile albinos. It interested the Merovingian.

Persephone opened the door and walked in and stopped when she saw the Twins crying. She immediately went to them and pulled them toward her, all the time trying to comfort them.

"What is wrong with you?" she glared at her husband. "Do you enjoy tormenting?"

The Merovingian said nothing.

"There, there, everything's going to be alright." She cooed to the Twins, kissing them on the cheek. She turned back to the Mero. "I don't know what you have planned, but these twins are staying with me. And you can't stop me."

Persephone stood up and moved the Twins behind her as if shielding them from an evil force. Then again, maybe she was.

"You take those twins? I don't think so." The Merovingian stood up and came forward toward his wife. "Those twins belong to me. As far as I know this does not concern you."

Perse held her husband's gaze.

"There's something special about them that interest me greatly. I somehow have this feeling that they will be of great use to me in the future. So you see there's no way that you're taking them."

Twin Two suddenly and without warning kicked the Merovingian in the shin, causing the great and powerful man to literally forget everything else in the world and grab for his leg. The Twins, then, took off down the hallway, running as fast as they could go. But they didn't go far. One of the Merovingian's Dobermen henchmen was waiting for them around the corner. When the Twins came within his reach the creature hit the poor children upside the faces, knocking them backwards into each other… and unconscious.


	6. Welcome to the Tower

When the Twins regained consciousness they were no longer in the chateau. Instead they were in a room in some other place. It was a big, elaborate room much like the room they had stayed in with their parents at the chateau. There were two beds side by side, one for each twin and the afternoon sun warmly came in through the window. In the middle of the room was a pile of their belongings, such as clothes, books and toys.

The Twins moved to a sitting position and eyed each other. Each one could see the fear in the other one's face. In the midst of the silence that filled the room, they could hear voices coming from somewhere outside the door. They got up from the beds they were each laying on and ran to the door. It was cracked enough where they could peek out into the hallway and see what was going on. Much to their surprise, they saw other kids running and playing and laughing. They were strange looking kids. One of them was very tall and lanky and was dressed in black, had medium long jet black hair and very pale skin, though not as pale as the Twins' skin. He wore a silver chain necklace that had a bat pendant dangling and sparkling at the end of it. The boy looked older than the Twins and also evil.

The other kids that followed him weren't far from looking like him. One of them even had a pair of bat-like wings on his shoulders. They were flattened against the boy's back, but the Twins could clearly see that they were wings.

However, there was one boy that stood out from the rest. He was about the same age or a year or two younger than the tall, lanky one. His dark hair was cut short and he had an Asian look to his face and skin. He wore a white t-shirt and white jeans, along with matching white tennis shoes. But he didn't look happy, nor was he laughing along with the others. It was at this moment that the Twins realized they weren't playing with each other. The boys in black were picking on the boy in white, teasing him and making fun of him. They could hear the painful names that the boys hissed through their teeth.

"Hey, Angel Boy, where are your wings?" one of them said before he broke out laughing.

"Here are _my _wings." The boy with the bat wings said before he stretched them out to their full extent and then flapped them a couple of times.

"Wingless!" yet another called out before they all broke out in laughter.

No matter what, the boy in white continued on walking down the length of the hall, never once paying them a bit of attention. He walked along as if it didn't even bother him, as if the teasing boys weren't even there but were invisible. Suddenly the tall, lanky boy ran up to the boy in white, grabbed him by the shirt and flung him against the hall wall.

"You look at us when we're talking to you!" he hissed in a dark and menacing voice. The voice alone sent chills down the Twins' spines. But despite their fears, they had to do something. They couldn't just stand there and watch as this pack of bullies tormented that poor boy.

"Hey!" the Twins said together, coming out of their room and into the hallway. "You leave him alone."

The lanky boy pleasingly turned his gaze towards the Twins and let the boy in white go.

"Well, well what have we here? A couple of carbon copies?" he snickered. "Hey look, guys. Someone made a copy of their kid! And the Merovingian just happened to take them away and dump them here."

All of the boys broke out laughing. The lanky boy stepped closer to the Twins and smiled a huge smile that revealed fangs instead of teeth.

"Look at how small they are." He said. "Nothing but babies."

"And look at the color of their eyes and hair." The bat winged boy said.

"Are you two part metal?" the lanky boy snickered.

The Twins only stood and stared into the boy's deadly looking face. They were beginning to think that coming out into the open wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Their eyes look like silver bullets." Said the bat winged boy.

"Oh help me! Help me! They're going to kill me just by looking at me!" the lanky boy screamed in a mock girly voice. All of the others broke out in laughter again, except for the boy in white.

"I'll bet that they miss their mommy." The boy got down into the Twins' faces. "Don't you?"

The Twins didn't say anything, but shuffled their feet instead.

"Let me tell you something, silver bullet eyes, you'll never see your parents again. The Merovingian took you away and dumped you in this forsaken heap of a school with only one thing in mind, hoping that you'll grow up to be his slaves. Your parents have probably forgotten all about you by now. They're probably somewhere right now enjoying the freedom the Merovingian gave them while you're both stuck here in purgatory."

"That's not true!" Two said in defense, getting ready to cry. "Our parents love us. They said so! They said they'll always love us no matter what!"

The lanky boy burst out laughing and then slapped Two in the face. "Listen, silver bullets, I'm the leader around here. Understand? So what I say, goes."

Two's lip quivered while he rubbed his sore face.

"Hey, Vlad!"

The lanky boy turned around to face the boy in white.

"That's enough. They're new around here and they're just little kids. Leave them alone and pick on someone your own size."

"Like you?" Vlad grabbed the boy in white again. Vlad sighed and let the boy go. "I'm bored with this. C'mon, let's go shoot some baskets."

The pack of boys that followed Vlad turned and filed down the hallway until they disappeared. Vlad stopped and turned back toward the Twins.

"I forgot to say, welcome to the Tower." He grinned a fang grin and then turned and disappeared the way the other boys went.

The Twins turned and ran, crying, to their room. The door slamming shut behind them was enough to echo through the school's halls and arouse the housemasters. Both Twins sat on the floor next to one of the beds, their knees drawn up to their chests, and cried their eyes out. Unknown to them, the door to their room slowly and carefully opened with one slight creak, revealing the boy in white. He stood still and silently eyed the two bawling twins. After three minutes of hesitation, the boy walked in and up to the Twins. He carefully placed his hand on one of their shoulders and knelt down beside them.

"It's ok. Everything is going to be alright."

The Twins startlingly looked up, their eyes puffy and wet.

"Oh, it's you." Two shakily said. "Aren't you going to make fun of us too?"

The boy shook his head and smiled. "I'm sorry, but I don't agree with doing stuff like that."

"Who _are_ you?" One sniffed.

"Someone who understands how you must be feeling right now."

"No one could possibly understand how we're feeling." One sniffed again.

"Yes, I do." The boy positioned himself on the floor in a cross-legged fashion. "Although you're both fortunate that you only got teased and slapped in the face. I've had it much worse."

The Twins now had their full attention on the strange boy.

"I've had the teasing more times than I can count, true, but I've also had beatings. I've been locked in the closet, I've been locked in the lockers, I've had food thrown at me, I've been tripped and other things that I won't even bother to mention."

"Why?" Two asked.

The boy shrugged his small lanky shoulders. "Because I'm different than them and because they're just bullies."

"How are you different?"

"I'm nice and I like helping people, unlike them."

The Twins stood silently for a few minutes and eyed the child.

"You aren't a vampire or a Doberman, are you?" Two wrinkled his nose.

The boy smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"Mummy told us that there are many creatures in the Matrix and most of the Exiles are either vampire or Doberman. There are a few that are alien and some that are ghosts and even leprechauns. Are you a leprechaun?" Two tilted his head.

The boy laughed. "No, I'm not a leprechaun."

"Then what are you?" One asked eagerly.

The boy quickly looked toward the door and then leaned forward toward the Twins.

"I'm a guardian." He whispered.

"A what?" both Twins said together, not understanding.

"A guardian." The boy repeated. "You know, an angel."

"What's an angel?" Two asked curiously.

"Someone who'll look out for you." the boy smiled.

"What's your name then?" One asked.

"Seraph." The boy simply said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Two and this is One." Two pointed toward his brother.

Seraph smiled.

"Did your parents give you over to the evil man too?"

Seraph sadly nodded.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know." Seraph answered, looking down at the floor.

"We're sorry." Two innocently said, seeing the sadden face of Seraph. "Don't cry."

"You wanna be our friend?" One asked. "Maybe we can gang up on those bullies and lock _them_ in the closet."

Seraph looked up at the Twins and almost laughed. He quickly nodded his head that he wanted to be friends.

"I'd like that very much." his dark eyes sparkled with happiness. "You're the only two that have ever been nice to me. And are the first to ever want to be my friends."

"You're our first friend too!" the Twins said together.

A few minutes of silence passed until Two spoke again.

"Seraph, will we ever see our parents again?"

Seraph remained silent, not really sure how to answer his new friend. He looked up into the Twins' waiting faces, his smile fading from his lips.

"I can honestly say no."

The Twins' heads dropped to their chests.

"Unless some miracle happens."

Two was almost getting ready to cry again.

"Vlad may be a jerk and a heartless bully, but he was right about that one detail, sad to say." Seraph kept his eyes on his friends. "But don't listen to everything he says. I know that your parents have not forgotten you and that they still love you very much. Don't lose hope. Maybe someday you'll get the chance to see them again."

"What _is_ this place?" One changed the subject.

"It's a boarding school for Exile children." Seraph looked around the room as he spoke. The Twins did the same. "All Exile children coming back into the Matrix with their parents must come here because they're too young to work for the Merovingian to pay for their freedom. We're schooled here, fed here, live here and one day we'll graduate and then become workers for the Merovingian."

"We'll never work for him." The Twins smugly said. "Not after what he did to our family."

"Don't be so sure of that. You _have_ to work for him. There's no other way. You either work for him the amount of time he wants or you get sent to the Source."

The Twins silently and blankly stared at the floor in front of them.

"How old are you?" Seraph asked.

Both Twins, without saying a word, held up five fingers each.

"You're fortunate. They don't start your schooling here until you're at least six years old."

"What does that mean?" One asked.

"That means until you turn six you're free to wander the school as you please without having to do anything but be kids. And believe me, you'd better enjoy every minute of it."

The Twins exchanged worried glances.

"How old are _you_?" Two timidly asked Seraph.

"I'm ten." He answered, proudly.

"How old is the bully?"

"You mean Vlad? Oh, he's thirteen. And thinks he owns the place." Seraph brought his voice to a whisper. "Take my warning. Don't have anything to do with him. He's evil, he's cruel, he's snobbish, and he's a bully. Just ignore him as much as you can and don't listen to the things he says to you. He only says them to hurt and to make you mad and want to fight."

The Twins nodded that they understood. "We'll try."

"You don't know half of what Vlad does. Couple years ago he was banned from the school for awhile because he had taken two Exile children and tortured them to death."

The Twins' eyes widened. "Why did they let him back in?"

"They had to. He's to complete his schooling and training at all costs." Seraph sighed. "But if you ask me, the sooner he leaves the better."

The Twins nodded in agreement.

"C'mon and I'll show you around the place." Seraph grinned while getting up from the floor. "You'll need to know, plus it'll help get your mind off things."

The Twins both got up and followed their new friend.


End file.
